If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

April Purge!

A friend was soliciting books for a charitable cause, and it prompted me to cull so many books! I'm guessing in the 40 - 50 range. I have a bookcase that is the dedicated gardening library, and I must consider it sacred ground or something, because it has NEVER been culled. A lot of those books are just so irrelevant to us now and there is so much good info on the internet so they are on the way out the door! Bookcase is also nice and neat and dust-free.
I read the Marie Kondo book this week just out of curiosity. I think she is a certifiable fruit loop, but her book sold millions of copies and she is WAY richer than me, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt. However, you will never catch me thanking my coat for keeping me warm, and I remain unconvinced that if I don't fold my socks correctly, they will be unable to rest and relax in the drawer. I think she did make some valid points about decluttering in bold strokes, and I certainly got rid of more books by pulling them all out of the bookcase than I would have just looking at them on the shelves. Things kind of get established and settled into their designated places, so by pulling them out, you can more objectively assess whether they belong in your home or not.

I cleaned out a whole drawer of mostly socks. When I buy socks I get 2 or 3 pair the same, so if one gets lost, wears a hole, etc I have others that match it. Well, for the last 3 winters, as I got dressed and ran into thread-bare socks or socks that are too short for my tastes now, I simply threw them into the bottom drawer. (What- ?!? is that the waste basket?! but I have dogs, no waste basket in the bedroom...)

Anyway, I dumped out all socks, from 2 drawers, and carefully matched up pairs, decided which to keep, and put all the others- about 3/4 of them! into a bag for give away. I also tossed the 3 tee shirts that were in there. I have an entire empty drawer now! (I need to take a good look at clothes again, I retired last June, and I know there are things in my closet that I haven't worn in 3 years now. As soon as the weather finished changing, I will get into that project.)

..... (I need to take a good look at clothes again, I retired last June, and I know there are things in my closet that I haven't worn in 3 years now. As soon as the weather finished changing, I will get into that project.)

mschrisgo2,
I just finished round 2 of going through clothes, socks, shoes, etc. in the 9 months since my retirement from an office position. I was able to completely empty a dresser and a smaller 3 drawer dresser/nightstand. It also helped that I had 8 side shelves added to my master bedroom closet.

This week I'm donating the 2 dressers to a charity that provides furniture to those teens/young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
The dressers are teakwood, clean, and in excellent condition. Feels good all the way around.

Nice accomplishment, Lainey!
I listed 3 clothing items on eBay. Ebay says my chances of selling are poor at the prices I started with ($9.99), but I honestly can't even be bothered going to the post office for a $3 to $4 sale. Does anyone with more experience know if really low starting prices generate bidding enthusiasm and ultimately higher selling prices? If I get no bites at $9.99, I might experiment with one of the items at eBay's suggested pittance. I guess I can sell a little bit of my time for peanuts if there is a learning experience involved. The real lesson here is to buy clothing judiciously because there is really no resale value.
I also culled 4 household items. I'm looking to put together a decent batch of Saver's donations for later this week.